Display stand for stockings and the like



y] 11, 1939. E. J. EEEEEE Er EE, 2,165 915 DISPLAY STAND FOR STOCKINGS AND THE LIKE Filed June 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HG I.

Z INVENTORS:

' WIYQWESSE f Emil J. Berger& 9/ :2; y J iQ ardJ V. Mathews.

W v v TTORNEYS.

1939. E. J. BERG;ER El ALV 2,165,915

DISPLAY STAND FOR STOCKINGS AND THE LIKE Filed June 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES: N V EN TORS l I I l 4 Emil J. B r 54 I ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 11, 1939 PATENT orrlcr.

DISPLAY STAND FOR STOCKINGS AND THE LIKE Emil J. Berger, Hatfield, and Howard W. Matthews, Lansdale, Pa., assignors to Dexdale Hosiery Mills, Lansdale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June '5, 1937, Serial No. 146,564

8 Claims.

This invention relates to devices useful for displaying hosiery and the like on the counters of retail stores or in shop windows for the purposes of advertisement and promotion of sales.

Ordinarily in retailing hosiery, the stockings are takeneach time from the packages or boxes in which they are stocked, to permit inspection for color, weight, texture, etc., by the prospective purchaser. As a consequence of repeated rough handling, the stockings become soiled. crumpled and otherwise marred, and are thereby eventually rendered unsalable. The procedure is moreover time consuming, and, during busy periods, the counters become littered with numerous open or partly open packages and boxes.

I The chief aim of our invention is to overcome the above disadvantages, which objective we attain as hereinafter set forth in greater detail, through provision of a simple, inexpensive and attractive display stand with a supporting element from which a plurality of stockings of different colors, weights or textures are hung flat in such manner that they can be readily inspected individually in all their parts by the prospective purchasers.

It is a further aim of our invention to provide releasable means whereby the stockings on display are individually secured against easy displacement, as well as .against theft.

A further object of our invention is to provide means for stationarily holding a card or sign bearing a trade-mark or other information relative to the make or quality of the displayed hosiery and additional means on the rotatable element of the stand for holding other cards designating the colors or shades or giving other information relative to the individual stockings. Thus after a choice has been made and the size given by the purchaser, the desired stockings can be taken from the stock in the store and delivered without necessity for opening the packages or boxes in which they were originally put up by the manufacturer.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein Fig. I is a perspective view of a hosiery display stand embodying our invention.

Fig. II is a fragmentary sectional View drawn to a larger scale and taken as indicated by the arrows II-II in Fig. I. r

Fig. III is a detail sectional view taken as indicated by the arrows III-III in Fig. II, and likewise drawn to a larger scale.

Fig. IV is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken as indicated by the arrows IV-IV in Fig. I. r

Fig. V and VI are detail perspective views of certain parts of the device which will be more specifically referred to later. 5

As herein illustrated, our improved display stand comprises an upright standard in the form of a tubular post I which is suitably anchored in a weighted base 2, and which, at the top, supports a freely rotatable horizontal wheel-like spi In der 3. Reaching outward from the spherical hub l ofv the spider 3 are a plurality of symmetricallyarranged radial arms 5 of circular section. Between its adjacent divergent arms 5, the spider 3 has anchorages E for the bights of folded stockings S, besides supports 7 carried by the arms 5 outside said anchorages, over which the superposed upper and lower leg portions of the stockings extend, and from which they hang downward. These anchorages 6 and supports 1 consist of cross bars extending transversely between adjacent pairs of said arms at correspondingly different distances from the post axis. In the present instance, arcuate segments of a ring 8 coaxial with the post I constitute the inner series of cross bars 6; while angularly bent straight segments of the radial arms 5 constitute the outer series of cross bars 1. Thus each of the supporting bars I has one end thereof attached to the corresponding arm 5, but is entirely free at its other end, so that stockings S may be passed between the free ends of the bars 1 and the adjacent portions of the spider arms 5. The radial arms 5 pass with a force fit through openings in the ring 8 and have their inner ends flattened as at 9 in Fig. V, for force fitment and anchorage in a square section circumferential groove Ill of the ball hub las shown in Fig. IV.

If desirable or more convenient in practice, the spider 3 may, of course, be cast or otherwise fashioned throughout as an integral element.

- From Fig. II, it will be observed that the wheel hub 4 has a vertical diametral bore II which is shouldered at l2 with provision of a socket to engage over the top end of the post I. The spider 3 is held in place by a removable shouldered retaining stem-like member 13 whereof the reduced diametral portion M extends down through the smaller portion of the bore H in the wheel hub 4 and has screw threads l5 at its lower end engaging a tapped hole centrally of an inwardly and downwardly bent tongue I6 cut out of the tubular post I at the top. Supported by the retaining member I3 is a holder I! for a card I8 which may bear a trade-mark or other 55 information regarding the brand or make of the hosiery being displayed.

In the use of the stand, each stocking S (Figs. I-III) is folded at the middle around one of the inner anchorage cross bars 6 of the spider 3 and the folds laid smoothly in superimposition one upon the other over the corresponding outer cross bar I, with the upper leg end L and the foot end F suspended from the last mentioned cross bar.

In order to secure the stockings against easy displacement or theft, we have provided in association with each of the outer cross bars I of the spider 3, a clamp bar l9, which, as shown in Figs. II and III, has its bottom edge rounded and which, at opposite ends, has wedge lug projections 20 whereof the tops recede outwardly at a slight declination from the horizontal. Suitably secured on each cross bar 1 of the spider 3 adjacent its juncture with the corresponding spoke 5 is a ball collar 2| which has a lateral square section socket recess 22 adjacent its top for receiving one of the wedge ends 20 on the clamp bar is. Engaging screw threads 23 at the free end of each of the outermost cross bars 1 of the spider 3 is a knurled finger nut 24 with an axial recess 25 in its inner side face for reception of the wedge portion 20 at the opposite end of the clamp bar l9. Thus, as the finger nut 24 is tightened, the clamp bar [9 will be urged downward toward the corresponding cross bar I of the spider 3 through the camming action of its wedge ends 20 respectively with the ball collar 2| and with said finger nut 24, effectively securing the corresponding stocking to the spider by the lateral coaction of the clamp bar [9 with the supporting bar I, besides holding the portions of the stocking resting on the bar I evenly spread out along it.

The clamp bars l9, it will be observed from Figs. I and II are found at-the top with longitudinal grooves 26 for capacity to serve as holders for cards 21 indicating the color or giving other information relative to the individual stockings. In practice, the grooves 26 in the bars I9 are made slightly narrower than the thickness of the cards 21 so that the latter are effectively retained by pinch action.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that we have provided a simple, inexpensive and attractive counter or window display stand for supporting a plurality of stockings or the like in full view with capacity for individual inspection by prospective purchasers in retailing or other establishments, whereby sales are not only promoted, but greatly expedited.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A display stand for hosiery and the like comprising an upright standard, and a horizontal spider supported thereby and itself comprising a plurality of divergent arms; anchorages on said spider, for the bights of folded stockings, between adjacent arms; supporting cross-bars carried by and extending between said arms outside of said anchorages, for supporting the upper leg and lower leg portions of folded stockings whose bights are engaged around said anchorages, so that these portions of the stockings extend outward from the anchorages in superposition over the supporting bars and hang downward from the latter; and clamps for coacting with the supporting bars to hold the superposed portions of the stockings evenly spread out along said supporting bars.

2. A display stand as set forth in claim 1 wherein said anchorages themselves consist of cross-bars extending between adjacent spider arms, and said supporting bars are attached to the arms at one end of each supporting bar, but are free at their other ends, so that stockings may be passed between the free ends of said supporting bars and the adjacent spider members.

3. A display stand for hosiery and the like comprising an upright standard; a horizontal spider supported thereby, and itself comprising arms extending outward from the standard, and supporting cross-bars carried by and extending between said arms; and clamps for coacting with said supporting bars, each clamp comprising a clamp-bar with wedge ends, a socket on the spider for receiving one wedge end of each clamp bar, and a nut threaded on the corresponding supporting bar having a recess in its side face for receiving the other wedge end of said clamp bar.

4. A display stand for hosiery and the like comprising an upright standard, and a horizontal spider supported thereby and itself comprising arms extending outward from the standard and supporting cross-bars carried by and extending between said arms, said supporting bars being attached to the arms at one end of each bar, but being free at their other ends, so that the articles to be supported may be passed between the free ends of the bars and the adjacent spider members.

5. A display stand as set forth in claim 4 wherein the spider arms and their attached cross-bars consist of bent rods, each mounted on the standard at one end.

6. A display stand as set forth in claim 4 also comprising clamp bars having wedge ends and coacting laterally with said supporting bars, a socket on the spider for receiving one wedge end of each clamp bar, and a nut threaded on the free end of the corresponding supporting bar having a recess in its side face for receiving the other wedge end of said clamp bar.

'7. A display stand for stockings and the like comprising a horizontal Wheel-like spider including a central hub member, a plurality of angularly bent rod elements, each with one end anchored in the hub member, jointly forming a series of spokes and a series of bars extending crosswise between the spokes at the periphery of the spider, and a concentric ring intermediate the hub member and the spider periphery with circumferentially-spaced apertures through which the spokes extend; and an upright standard by which the spider is axially supported.

8. A display stand for stockings and the like comprising an upright standard which is tubular and formed at the top with an inwardly and downwardly bent cut-out tongue; 9. horizontal spider rotatively supported by the standard, said spider having a hub with a shouldered socket to fit over the top of the standard; and a screw member with a head and with a shank passing axially down through the spider hub and threadedly engaging a tapped hole in the tongue aforesaid to hold the spider assembled with the standard.

EMIL J. BERGER. HOWARD W. MATTHEWS. 

